Ficus polita
Ficus polita | |
---|---|
Specimen in Pretoria, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Moraceae |
Genus: | Ficus |
Species: | F. polita
|
Binomial name | |
Ficus polita Vahl, 1805
|
Ficus polita, the heart-leaved fig, is a species of fig that is native to forests of tropical Africa,
Distribution
[edit]The tree is found in Lowland rainforest and gallery forest (west and central Africa), coastal & dry forest (east and southern African coast), and on Madagascar. It grows up to elevations of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).[1]
Description
[edit]Ficus polita is similar to the Pondoland fig, (Ficus bizanae), an endemic tropical forest species in South Africa. The leaves have entire margins and are often heart-shaped, with the tip acuminate.[2]
The figs are borne on old wood, in small clusters on stumpy branchlets.[2]
The pollinating wasp is Courtella bekiliensis bekiliensis (Risbec) in Madagascar, and Courtella bekiliensis bispinosa (Wiebes) on the African mainland.[1]
Gallery
[edit]-
Bark texture
-
Leaf shape
-
Fig clusters
-
Fig
References
[edit]- ^ a b van Noort, Simon; Rasplus, Jean-Yves. "Ficus polita polita Vahl 1805". Figweb. Iziko Museums. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Palmer, Eve (1977). A Field Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa. London, Johannesburg: Collins. p. 89. ISBN 0-620-05468-9.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Ficus polita at Wikimedia Commons
- Ficus polita in West African plants – A Photo Guide.